EULEX confirmed in a statement on Thursday morning that a member of its Customs Component had been shot and killed.

The area where the incident took place has been sealed off and no effort will be spared in bringing the perpetrator to justice, EULEX said in a release, in which the EU mission also condemned the incident in the strongest terms.

The victim has been identified as a Lithuanian member of EULEX, 35-year-old A.S.

It is unknown at this time who carried out the attack which EULEX said happened when two vehicles with six persons inside came under fire around 07:30 CET "at Gate 1".

Beta news agency said in its report that two more police officers were injured and are currently treated in Kosovska Mitrovica. They came under a burst of fire, while the victim was shot in the head and stomach.

Director of the Health Center in Kosovska Mitrovica Milan IvanoviĆ told Tanjug that the injured EULEX staff member was brought to the hospital unconscious a little after 08:00 CET, and that the doctors were trying to resuscitate him for almost an hour, but failed.

The area where the shooting took place was blocked by the EULEX police, who were at the scene along with members of KFOR units. Reports said that "shell casings left behind by the killers" had been recovered.